“Just barely,” he said. “I’m supposed to avoid moving this side for the next couple days.”
She bit her lip, so quiet. And suddenly he wasn’t sure what to say to her without pushing her, prying.
“I’m pressing charges,” said Michael. “He shot me once, and hotel security found him aiming the gun at me. I hope that’s enough to outweigh whatever friendships he has in town.”
“The police granted me a restraining order, and when we went back to the house, I got an escort. I’ve been working to dig up all the emails between Sean and Aidan. There was a trail of messages that allude to the bribes and payments, and I’m hoping that’s enough to take to some sort of authority. I think Clint is involved, too, but I’m not sure if I have evidence of it.”
“The police came in to take a statement about Aidan,” he said. “But they said they hadn’t charged him yet, just took him in for questioning. I’ve been so worried about you.”
She nodded. “I’ve been staying in the resort. When your friend heard about the situation, he offered me that room you were supposedly staying in. He said since it’s late season, they’re not fully booked, so it’s not a problem if I want to stay there for a little while. Aidan is barred from the resort, and they’ve sent his photo around to all the staff.”
He understood that the police had their own way of working, and he believed that people should be treated innocent until proven guilty, but in this case, it left Ellie vulnerable. Thank God, his community was stepping in to help protect her. He wished he could be the one watching out for her, but this was the next best option for now.
“Thank God for Aman,” said Michael, closing his eyes.
“I thought you weren’t so sure about your relationship with God,” she said, a hint of a grin on her face.
“These last few days have made me reconsider,” he said, trying to smile.
He was coming to realize that it was a journey. His relationship with God was just that—a relationship, ongoing, with highs and lows. Michael may never fully understand Sunny’s death, and the ache of it would never go away. All relationships included trials, and his relationship with God seemed to have survived. Maybe it could be stronger after these trials. That’s where Michael hoped he was headed.
“I’m never going to get over Sean’s death,” said Ellie.
Michael nodded as his heart sank. Of course, he knew she wouldn’t, but was this her way of signaling there was no possibility of a new relationship with him? Michael had wondered if this was where everything would lead, but he had hoped it wouldn’t come so fast. He just wanted to sit with her for a while. Still, he forced himself to say, “I know. I will never get over Sunny either.”
Because that was the truth, too. So why did it feel different for him right now?
“I’ve been thinking a lot about that over the last few days, since I watched you get carried away from me on that gurney, not knowing where you were going, or what happened to you,” she said.
“I understand,” he forced himself to say. “We barely know each other.”
She gave a little laugh. “I don’t even have your phone number.”
Michael nodded, trying to keep his disappointment off his face.
Ellie took a deep breath then let it out. “All of these things should be the reasons why you and I can’t be anything more than friends. That should be the reason why I say goodbye to you right now, or say that maybe we could just be friends. But that’s not how I feel. I feel all of those things can be true...including that I have room in my heart to care about you someday. As something more than a friend.”
Michael’s heart soared. Was he hearing correctly? Maybe this was some sort of postsurgery dream. Did she feel this way, too, that love between them might be possible? Maybe this was part of what his minister had meant so long ago when he had said that love was infinite. Michael had loved Sunny with all his heart, and this feeling wasn’t about the past or his mistakes, or what he did wrong. This was simply more love.
His gaze was fixed on Ellie, and her cheeks grew pink. “Or maybe I am too late? Maybe you’ve reconsidered what you said back on the kitchen floor?”
“Not at all,” said Michael quickly with a laugh. “You do have me wondering if I’m having some sort of postsurgery hallucination.”
Ellie laughed and then she stood up. She came closer and sat on the edge of his bed. She lay her hand on his, the way he had touched her back at the resort. “This is real,” she whispered.
This was real. And it was what he wanted. He felt it was right in the deepest parts of him. He knew it.
“Even before all this happened, I’d been thinking about moving, getting rid of both houses,” she said. “The house in Santa Barbara has so many memories of Sean. He had wanted to move there for the business. As an accountant, I could get work wherever I wanted, so I just followed him. And now this Tahoe house...”
“You always have a place to stay at the ranch.”
“Your father said the same thing.”
Michael’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “He did? He’s usually a little more on the reserved side. At least until you get to know him.”
“Now I know where you get that from,” she said.
Michael smiled.
“Our first date was pretty intense,” he said, and she laughed. “How about we do something a little quieter next time? Like dinner and a movie?”
“Or dinner and a horseback ride?” she suggested. “Of the many things I took away from that crazy day, I realized how much I miss horseback riding.”
“Among many things,” he said wryly.
Her hand was warm on top of his. It was a connection that he didn’t want to break.
“Would you go on a date with me, Ellie? It might just be dinner.” He gestured at his side. “But I hope we’ll be able to ride together soon, too.”
“I would love that.” A flush rose to her cheeks as she held his gaze.
Then she leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. The kiss was warm, tender and filled with promise, and his heart pounded in his chest. This kiss felt like the beginning of something, something that could last. A week ago, Michael would never have believed it was possible. Now, everything seemed possible.
EPILOGUE
One year later
“Is that all you’re bringing?” Michael asked from the doorway of their new bedroom.
